Toby Keith, the country singer, has a hit song from a few years ago called “I Wanna Talk About Me”. The point of the video is that it’s so easy to talk about ourselves, what we do, what our business has to offer, and all the great things that we do, that we forget all about the other person – our customer.

As web marketers, it’s crucial to never lose sight of your customers or potential customers and what they want. After all, they’re like Toby in the video, that they “wanna talk about ME”.

Look at your web copy. Do you see a lot of “we”, “I”, or “us”? Do you use your company name in the copy? This is very common and what most websites have on them. It’s easier to talk about what you as a business owner does, after all, you’re an expert in that area, right?

So many websites have language that sounds a lot like this (copied directly from a multi-national company website):

“XYZ Company offers a program that’s right for you. Choose from a variety of delivery platforms, including face-to-face instruction at a XYZ Company location or live online training through…”

It’s “our company offers…”, “we serve…”, “we sell this and that…”

The problem is that your customers want to talk about (or at least hear about) themselves. Think of it this way. Every time someone does a search on Google, that person is looking for the solution to a problem. When you talk about your company, it’s boring. It’s harder to tie your solution to their needs. They have a specific problem that needs fixing, and maybe you have the solution. But you have to articulate it as such.

Maybe they’re looking for:

  • A how-to guide to fix a leaky fish tank.
  • Step-by-step instructions to plan and plant a vegetable garden
  • A reliable company to fix their garage door
  • An attorney to help them with estate planning for their aging parent

Instead of telling your customers about all the wonderful services that you offer – many of which don’t apply to their specific problem – turn your content around and speak to the reader about their problem. Talk about them instead. For each page on your website that discusses the types of services or products you have, talk about instead, the particular issues or difficulties they may be experiencing.

This is harder to do than it sounds. One of the techniques I like to use is an if/then statement:

  • If you’re having problems with tree rats chewing holes in your wiring, then one possible solution might be to …
  • If you have struggled in the past to get a great haircut because you have “difficult hair”, then our salon experts can help you to determine the most flattering style…
  • If your car continues to run and spit smoke after you’ve turned off the engine, then you’ve probably got one of two problems…
  • If your garage door won’t open any more, then you may have a broken spring. Do not attempt to fix it, because you can very easily injure yourself without the proper tools and parts.

Here, the copy from our home page states the problem right up front (and an implied if/then statement):

Are you responsible for getting your client’s or your company’s website onto Google? You don’t want to risk it by guessing what’s the right way to get to the top, right? Unfortunately, there is a lot of misinformation out there and it’s hard to dig through it all to get it right.

If your customers identify with what you’re saying, they’re far more likely to engage with you than telling them what you “offer”. They’ll be able to see how your solution or product can help them with their problem.

Take a look at your own website and use a critical eye. Look to see how many times you mention your company name or just use “we” or “I”, and count them up, compared to “you”.

Comment below and tell us what you found or how you think you should change your copy.